when do i try releasing?

[valerie]

Hi


well the pigeon i rescued has been with us over 2 weeks. it has now graduated to living outside in a makeshift aviary, it is eating on its own and drinking water. it is still making baby noises and wagging its wings when i come near it. it did have one wing that hung down, but this now seems to be like the 'good' wing. it can fly up to its perch (about a foot) and i've brought it into the house and given it a 'test flight' - it can get vertical height but doesn't fly around much.

so now i am wondering when it will be good to release? I am also wondering whether i should set up a roost for it in my garden, so that when i do release it it will have somewhere to go /feed.

i've read advice about releasing it into a pigeon flock - there aren't many around here - and the one that is in town has a lot of unhealthy looking pigeons in it. (btw i live in australia, on the south coast, south of sydney)

thanks
valerie

[cyro51]

Hi Valerie,

I think that it is still a bit young to release. Wait until he has stopped begging and has built up his flight muscles and his flying skills.

A few questions before the question of where to release can be answered:

Did you find him in a place frequented by a flock?

Are the any pigeons visiting your garden? Would he be vulnerable to predators there?

Cynthia

[valerie]

we found pigeon in an industrial area - no birds around and fences and factories. no flock that i could see.

my garden has lots of trees. we have doves that live in the garden - i think they are called turtle neck or something - i live in australia. i haven't seen any of the grey ones like our rescued pigeon.

a friend is going to give me a pigeon roosting box. so i am thinking that i;ll put it in its cage - then later when i release bird i will put the roosting box in a tree.

the bird still cant do a lot of flying. it seems quite contented in its great dane cage - i have it on a table in the garden & is protected by trees.

valerie